浣 (huàn) - wash, rinse & to cleanse

浣Tone 4

huàn ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

浣 · huàn

wash, rinse;

to cleanse;

to bathe;

also used in classical poetry to refer to a period of time (ten days)

wash, rinseto cleanseto bathe

Usage highlights

wash clotheswash silkmorning washfirst ten days of monthmiddle ten days of monthlast ten days of month

Synonyms

  • 洗— wash, clean
  • 涤— cleanse, wash away
  • 沐— bathe, wash hair

Antonyms

  • 污— dirty, stain
  • 染— dye, contaminate

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • She washes clothes by the river (浣衣).
  • Morning washing routine (晨浣).
  • The ten-day period in a month (上浣, 中浣, 下浣).
  • Bathing in hot springs (温泉浣浴).

Collocations

  • wash clothes(浣衣)
  • wash silk(浣纱)
  • morning wash(晨浣)
  • first ten days of month(上浣)
  • middle ten days of month(中浣)
  • last ten days of month(下浣)

Idioms

  • Xi Shi washing silk at the stream(西施浣纱)
  • Washing silk by the stream(溪边浣纱)
  • Washing clothes at the riverbank(江畔浣衣)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient China, '浣' was used to divide a month into three periods of ten days each (上浣, 中浣, 下浣).
  • Associated with the legend of Xi Shi (西施), one of the Four Great Beauties, who was discovered while washing silk.
  • Traditionally connected with women's domestic work of washing clothes by rivers and streams.

FAQ